Evolutionary and collaborative software architecture recovery with Softwarenaut

Architecture recovery is an activity applied to a system whose initial architecture has eroded. When the system is large, the user must use dedicated tools to support the recovery process. We present Softwarenaut — a tool which supports architecture recovery through interactive exploration and visualization. Classical architecture recovery features, such as filtering and details on demand, are enhanced with evolutionary capabilities when multi-version information about a subject system is available. The tool allows sharing and discovering the results of previous analysis sessions through a global repository of architectural views indexed by systems.We present the features of the tool together with the architecture recovery process that it supports using as a case-study ArgoUML, a well-known open source Java system.

► Softwarenaut is a visual, interactive architecture recovery tool. ► It leverages evolution to support advanced filters and detailed views. ► It enables sharing architectural views through an online view repository. ► We illustrate the functionality of Softwarenaut through examples of its application. ► We discuss architectural and tool-building aspects, and report on a usability study.